National News

DOJ plan: Cut 20K inmates' jail time by 23 months

(NEWSER) – Some 9% of the federal prison population could see their sentences reduced by an average of 23 months thanks to a new Justice Department proposal endorsed by Eric Holder. The US Sentencing Commission voted in April to reduce drug sentences for nonviolent offenders in the future; this proposal, presented to the commission by the DOJ today, would offer retroactive eligibility for shortened sentences to some prisoners. As many as 20,000 could ultimately be affected, CNN reports.